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Suarez's glove preserves Sanchez's gem

7/11/14: With a runner on third and the infield in, Eugenio Suarez makes an excellent stop of Jarrod Dyson's grounder and fires for the out

By Jackson Alexander
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MLB.com |

KANSAS CITY -- Anyone who saw Eugenio Suarez's game-saving play could have appreciated the brilliance of it.

But the ultimate stamp of approval came when general manager Dave Dombrowski approached the rookie shortstop, patted him on the back and congratulated him for the mind-boggling effort in Detroit's 2-1 win over the Royals on Friday.

Suarez preserved the Tigers' lead, and Anibal Sanchez's sixth win of the season, in the seventh inning.

With the infield in, Dyson scorched a ground ball toward Suarez's right side. Suarez froze and, without the time to flash his glove to the backside, simply slid it across the ground and picked the ball in one motion, then easily threw out Dyson.

The play earned plaudits all around, particularly from his starting pitcher.

"Amazing, amazing," Sanchez said. "I think that's the play [of] the game. If he doesn't stop that ball, the game is probably tied, or I don't know [what would] happen after that, but for me that's the play of the game."